Mike,
If I understand what you are doing, you rest the mast on the car to hold it high enough to help when you raise it. I have an H-16 and made a tripod that I set the mast on to hold it up when I raise it. That may be a way for you to hold the mast up (and turn the boat around on the trailer). I extend the jib halyard with a length of line and tie it off similar to what you describe, then pin the forestay. The tripod is 3 poles and some rope, not much to it.
Howard
No the the mast stays in the front mast support.(thats the front of the trailer) That does the same job as your tripod. After I untie the mast I stand on the tongue of the trailer and slide the mast until the diamond wires are over or past the mast support. Then I go to the other end lift the mast out of that support and slide it back and pin it. So when I stand on the back of the boat the mast is about chest high before I start raising.
